Coltsfoot Constituents

The image above is from the class I attended.

There is a LONG list of constituents and I have already described all of the actions so we'll go straight to these today. Love and Light!

On to the constituents of coltsfoot

Arabinose (Mucilage, Polysaccharide):

Arnninidiol:

Bitter Principles: See Bitters in the Therapeutic Actions list.

Caffeic Acid (Phenolic Acids): it has antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties (Ganora, 2009, p. 108). It adds synergy for antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects in herbs such as echinacea.

Caffeoyltartaric Acid:

Carbohydrates are very water-soluble. They evaporate from alcohol and most are oil-phobic (Ganora, 2009, p. 44, 49, 63, 73).

Carotene: Ganora says carotenes are antioxidants and are good for the eyes and lungs. She lists other forms of carotenes are alpha-carotene, gamma-carotene, and delta-carotene. (Ganora, 2009, p. 69).

Essential Oils are steam soluble. These are often the active compounds in the plant but even more so, they are often needed to activate the other constituents of the plant for a synergistic effect (Ganora, 2009, p. 19, 43, 45, 46, 51, 68 ,109, 134, 137, 139).

Faradiol (Triterpene):

Ferulic Acid (Polyphenolic Acid) increases phagocytosis (Hoffman, 2003, p. 152).

Flavonoids: All polyphenolic plant pigments of a specific structure. There are over 4,000 of them. These are broken down into categories: Catechins, dihydrochalones, chalones, flavanones (dihydroflavones), flavones, isoflavones, anthocyanides, aurones, flavanols, and flavonols. This general property is immunomodulatory due to antioxidant/free-radical scavenging ability (Hoffman, 2006, p. 100-102, 152, 167, 170, 174).

Fructose (Polysaccharide, Mucilage) is a natural sweetener found in some soft drinks. This is listed under the heading of foods that can cause gas (Hoffman, 2003, p. 263).

Galactose (Mucilage, Polysaccharide):

Gallic Acid (Polyphenolic Acid), parent compound of gallotannins, has astringent, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antianaphylactic, anitmutagenic, choleretic, and bronchodilatory properties.  It also relaxes smooth muscles and inhibits the degradation of insulin. Ganora adds this is an antioxidant. These are found in grapes, nuts, and many berries. She continues they are anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and detoxify the liver. This acid is also easily absorbed and bioavailable which means there isn't much keeping it from getting into the body and beating up on some bad cells. She says historically, this was used as an astringent for gastrointestinal and urinary system issues and topically for purulent conjuctivitis. This compound is soluble in hot water (Hoffman, 2003, p. 92, 114; Ganora, 2009, p. 65, 81, 107, 108, 118, 123).

Glucose (Polysaccharide, Mucilage):

Glycosidal Bitter Principle:

Hyperoside (Quercetin Glycosides, Flavonoids) is a cardioprotective antioxidant and is anti-inflammatory (Ganora, 2009, p. 120).

Inulins are composed mainly of fructose. They are found in many foods, including the processed food created by the industry. They ferment in the colon for that healthy microbiome. They are antitumor, anitmicrobial, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antiosteoprotic, improve mineral absorption and balance. Some of these have a lack of enough studies to fully state they are FACT but these are traditional uses (Hoffman, 2003, p. 45).

Isoquercetin (Flavonoid):

Kaempferol (3,5,7,4-tetrahydroxyflavone) (Flavonoids): responsible for eliminating free radicals in plants caused by UV radiation of the sun.

Mucilage (polysaccharides, low-molecular weight D-glucan) are primarily demulcents and emollients. Their slimy coating soothes and protects exposed/irritated surfaces in the gastrointestinal tract. They are great for treating ulcers and can't be digested so they are great for bowel movements. Small quantities even absorb excess water in the colon. These should be prepared as needed rather than stored (Hoffman, 2003, p. 50-1, 226).

Mucin:

Parafin:

P-hydroxybenzoic Acid:

Phytosterols: mean there is a hydroxyl group attached to the C3 and an extra methyl or ethyl in the side chain. This is what differentiates it from an animal sterol (phyto meaning plant). Ganora says these are soluble in oil. She says these are good for cholesterol, blood lipids, and reduce blood-soluble vitamins in the blood. These are good for enlarged prostates and some are anti-carcinogenic.  These also are believed to be responsible for sexual and hormonal toning activities. The major phytosterols which may come up later are beta-sitosterol, campestrerol, and stigmasterol (Hoffman, 2003, p. 83, 143; Ganora, 2009, 44, 46, 64, 69, 91, 92, 134, 145).

Polysaccharides (Mucilage) activate the macrophages which initiates the body’s defenses against pathogens and cancer cells (Hoffman, 2003, p. 544).

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids: There are about 200 compounds that fall in this category due to structural similarities. They are distinguished by a fused 5-memberd ring with nitrogen in position 4, hydroxymethyl group in position 9 and a hydroxyl group in position 7 (structure is called a necine). A lot of these are toxic but not all. (Hoffman, 2003, 123-4, 188, 202-3, 321, 586)

Quercetin (Flavonoid) reduces allergy-induced inflammation, inhibits the growth of head and neck cancers, inhibits reverse transcriptase. Fallon says this has anti-thyroid properties. Cohen says it prevents gout. Pierre says it fights cancer and prevents heart disease.  Also, process cherries, such as those in a can, have twice as much as fresh cherries (Hoffman, 2003, p. 14; Fallon, 2001, p. 502; Cohen, 2007, p. 262; Pierre, 2005, p. 8-9).
Quercetin Glycosides (Flavonoids):

Rutin (Flavonoid) is an anti-inflammatory and loves to scavenge free-radicals. It helps strengthen blood vessels - specifically capillaries and veins. It is also antiviral and antibacterial (Hoffman, 2003, p. 105).

Senkirkine (Pyrrolozidine Alkaloid):

Tannic Acid:

Tannins (Polyphenols) can damper some of the harsher effects of some constituents but excessive use of them can cause certain cancers. In lab studies, they can inhibit fungi, yeast, bacteria and viruses. They do inhibit some other cancers and are antioxidants. There are different kinds of tannins so the risks vary. They are present in plants to protect them in various ways, depending on location (Hoffman, 2003, p. 114-117, 201).

Sitoserol (Sterol):

Taraxanthin:

Triterpenes are oil-soluble as well as high percentage alcohol soluble. These tend to make great essential oils and are used for steam therapies, like making a peppermint oil and using that to help with congestion through steam, as an example. Reading this section, this can get pretty complicated so I'll only add a bit more if requested. While most triterpenes are NOT water soluble, the glycoside triterpenoids are which is why it's important to know which is which (Ganora, 2009, p. 45, 46, 68, 134, 140, 141, 142, 144).

Tussilagine (Pyrrolozidine Alkaloid):

Xylose (Polysaccharides, Mucilage):

Volatile oil: Volatile just means they evaporate more quickly than other substances. If it says "volatile", you want to use the plant as fresh as possible and try not to warm it up in any way (Ganora, 2009, p. 52, 57, 61, 134, 139). Chevallier (2016) says volatile oils are what is extracted from the plant to make essential oils and are made of a lot of compounds, sometimes as much as 100 (p. 14).

Have a Great Day!